{"id":91877,"date":"2025-07-25T17:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T17:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/91877\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T17:00:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T17:00:25","slug":"fda-panel-weighs-ban-on-fluoride-tablets-and-drops-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/91877\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA panel weighs ban on fluoride tablets and drops for kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it plans to ban fluoride tablets and drops<\/a>, which have long been prescribed to children in areas where the mineral is not added to drinking water. On Wednesday, July 23, the agency will hold a public meeting<\/a> featuring a panel of 18 experts, supporters and skeptics to weigh the decision.<\/p>\n

Fluoride has long been considered safe and effective at preventing cavities, especially in children<\/a>, and has been added to drinking water across the United States for decades. However, state and local governments have recently banned, or are considering banning, the practice.<\/p>\n

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What exactly is fluoride?<\/p>\n

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral<\/a> known for its ability to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities. It\u2019s an active ingredient in toothpaste and mouthwash, and generally considered safe in small amounts.<\/p>\n

Why does the FDA want to ban fluoride tablets and drops?<\/p>\n

In May, the FDA announced plans<\/a> to ban fluoride tablets and drops, saying they have never been approved by the agency.<\/p>\n

In its statement, the FDA said unlike toothpaste and mouthwash, fluoride tablets and drops are ingested by children, which could pose a risk to gut microbiomes.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tUnbiased. Straight Facts.TM<\/p>\n

At least 80% of orally ingested fluoride is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and up to 80% of absorbed fluoride in children is retained because their bones and teeth need it more than adults\u2019 do.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe best way to prevent cavities in children is by avoiding excessive sugar intake and good dental hygiene, not by altering a child\u2019s microbiome,\u201d FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said. \u201cFor the same reason that fluoride may kill bacteria on teeth, it may also kill intestinal bacteria important for a child\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FDA also pointed to studies linking fluoride to thyroid disorders<\/a>, weight gain<\/a> and lower IQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has voiced support for the ban on tablets and drops, saying it\u2019s \u201clong overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to Commissioner Makary for his leadership on this vital issue \u2014 one that directly safeguards the health and development of our children. This decision brings us one step closer to delivering on President Trump\u2019s promise to Make America Healthy Again,\u201d Kennedy said.<\/p>\n

What do critics say about the potential ban?<\/p>\n

Those in favor of using fluoride to protect children\u2019s teeth say the benefits outweigh the possible health impacts<\/a>. In addition to strengthening tooth enamel and preventing cavities, it reduces the harmful effects of plaque and helps with remineralization, which helps repair teeth in the early stages of decay.<\/p>\n

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry<\/a> advises that children between the ages of 6 months and 16 years old use some form of fluoride every day.<\/p>\n

When will the FDA make its decision?<\/p>\n

The FDA is not expected to make a final decision on whether to ban fluoride tablets and drops until at least October. It set a deadline of Oct. 31 to complete a safety review and allow for a public comment period before taking action.<\/p>\n

What about fluoride in drinking water?<\/p>\n

Kennedy has been an outspoken critic of adding fluoride to drinking water in the U.S. He has even instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoride<\/a> be added to drinking water.<\/p>\n

However, Kennedy also acknowledged<\/a> banning fluoridation will likely lead to \u201cslightly more cavities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two states, Utah<\/a> and Florida<\/a>, have banned the addition of fluoride to public water systems. Five more states have legislation in the works to do so: Nebraska, Louisiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.<\/p>\n

In September, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations<\/a> on fluoride in drinking water after the Department of Health and Human Services released a report linking high levels of fluoride exposure to lower IQs.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJack Henry (Video Editor), \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAlex Delia (Deputy Managing Editor), \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tand Julia Marshall (Digital Producer)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it plans to ban fluoride tablets and drops, which have long…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":91878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[16460,17993,245,36731,23273,11621,151,60901,210,23274,1060,23271,10814,23275,80,49697,10816,1439,15005,67,132,68,23276],"class_list":{"0":"post-91877","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-cdc","9":"tag-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention","10":"tag-children","11":"tag-department-of-health-and-human-services","12":"tag-distro","13":"tag-epa","14":"tag-fda","15":"tag-fluoride","16":"tag-health","17":"tag-imds","18":"tag-medication","19":"tag-news-update","20":"tag-newsbreak","21":"tag-oovvuu","22":"tag-politics","23":"tag-rfk-jr","24":"tag-smartnews","25":"tag-u-s","26":"tag-u-s-food-and-drug-administration","27":"tag-united-states","28":"tag-unitedstates","29":"tag-us","30":"tag-ve"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114914946327513546","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}